PROJECTS

Her Vertical Retain Us

Location: Los Cerrillos, Chile, Architects: Cruz-Mandiola, elton_léniz, Artists: Fernando Prats, Ámbito Cero, Photographs: Cristóbal Palma / Estudio Palma

The work of Fernando Prats sustains itself in the landscape of Chile, both geographical and human, and the immersive energy of its extreme nature. The piece entitled “Her Vertical Retains Us” (Su Vertical nos Retiene) arises out of continuous observation of the Andes, the “Poem of Chile” (Poema de Chile) by Gabriel Mistral, and drawings from the 1875 Atlas of Physical Geography of the Republic of Chile, done by geologist Pedro José Amado Pissis.

House of Light Voids

Location: Medan, Indonesia, Architects: byrayboedi – Raymond Boedi, Photographs: Saputra Hendy

This residential project is located in Medan, Indonesia. The land itself is 150 m2 and the 3 storey house is 250 m2. It all starts from a simple line and altogether, they transform into varying sizes and shapes. With a hint of nature’s greatest source of life – light, they form a perfectly balanced architecture. The façade is a 3.8 meter high concrete wall, shielding the porch that are purposively hidden at first sight to trigger interests and curiosities.

Caseta de les Brugueres Refurbishment

Location: El Priorato, Spain, Architects: GMO Arquitectura, Photographs: Del Rio Bani

“Caseta de las Brugueras” refurbishment is a Project to rehabilitate a listed small Catalan country house or “Mas”, to turn it into a small refuge for short-term vacation breaks. The “Mas” is located in Priorat, an area of volcanic origin, a region with a rough and wild appearance, with landscapes of impressive luminosity. The building, settled in this same environment, retains the essence of the region; the silence and tranquility with maximum respect for the pre-existing construction and in close contact with the environment.

G House

Location: Tel Aviv, Israel, Architects: Axelrod Architects, Pitsou Kedem Architect, Photographs: Amit Geron

Appearing to effortlessly float above the ground, the G House advances the firm’s residential design beyond a purely minimalist approach. The G House is horizontally expressed but uses vertical space and light in surprising ways. The simply shaped residence on a small half of a dunam lot is organized along a horizontal framework which contains two living levels and a basement. The main level features copious glazing which opens to a private yard and pool; it is the entire wall of glass that creates the illusion of a floating building. The roof itself hovers above the house, separated by a slim glass window line.

Chesa Futura

Location: St. Moritz, Switzerland, Architects: Foster + Partners, Kuchel Architects (collaborating architect), Photographs: Nigel Young

Chesa Futura (‘house of the future’ in Romansch) fuses state-of-the-art computer design tools with centuries-old construction techniques to create an environmentally sensitive apartment building. Although its form is novel, it is framed and clad in timber – one of the oldest and most sustainable building materials. In Switzerland, building in timber is particularly appropriate in that it follows traditions developed and refined over centuries. The building’s larch shingles respond naturally to exposure to the elements, changing colour over time to a silver-grey, and should last for a hundred years without the need for maintenance.

Floating Home

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands, Architects: i29, Photographs: Ewout Huibers

Floating home by i29 architects is part of Schoonschip, a new floating village of 46 households that aims to create Europe’s most sustainable floating community. Based on an urban plan by Space&Matter, over 100 residents moved into and revitalized a disused canal and established themselves a living on the water. The location has a strong industrial past but today it is one of the most rapidly changing city parts of Amsterdam transforming into a more multi-functional living area. The new floating neighborhood is intended to be an urban ecosystem embedded within the fabric of the city: making full use of ambient energy and water for use and re-use, cycling nutrients and minimizing waste, plus creating space for natural biodiversity.

Shift House

Location: Tokyo, Japan, Architects: APOLLO Architects & Associates, Photographs: Masao Nishikawa

Surrounding the site in the outskirts of Tokyo is lush green and a slow-paced environment. The building was commissioned by a family composed of the husband who manages an insurance company, the wife who works as a patternmaker and their two children. It was planned as a SOHO, with a space for the yoga classes run by the wife added to the house. The distinguishing exterior consists of a wooden volume covered with a luminescent wall sitting on top of a base made of exposed concrete engrained with the texture of Japanese cedar.

Genmab Research Building

Location: Utrecht, Netherlands, Architects: Cepezed, Photographers: Lucas van der Wee

Recently the opening of the new premises of biotech company Genmab took place at the Science Park Utrecht. The new head office of Genmab, which has branches in Copenhagen and Princeton – New Jersey, is an integral design of Cepezed and Cepezed interior. The new building has been designed on the basis of an open work culture and intensive interaction, also with external parties. With a high sustainability score and ample daylighting, the new building offers a comfortable, healthy and inspiring (work) environment for employees and visitors.

Pontsteiger Residential Building

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands, Architects: Arons en Gelauff architecten, Photographers: Jeroen Musch, Thomas Schlijper, Marcel van der Burg

Pontsteiger (‘ferrypier’) is a large-scale residential project in Amsterdam. The building is located at the end of a 200 metre dam that projects into the water of the river IJ. The ‘Big Friendly Giant’ foreshadows Amsterdam’s growth of high-rise buildings around river IJ. The design creates not just an iconic object but a public space within itself. The building consists of a six floor low-rise block that wraps around a plaza on the waterfront. Two slender 60 metre high towers at the open end of this block frame the river view. The towers carry a bridge spanning 48 metres rising to a height of 90 metres. The building is elevated 7 metres and set upon a base of four pavilions.